FA : Mourinho should have apologised

REUTERS – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho should have apologised to former team doctor Eva Carneiro for his criticism of her, Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has said.

Mourinho accused Carneiro and Jon Fearn, the Chelsea physiotherapist, of being “impulsive and naive” and failing to “understand the game” when they entered the field to treat Eden Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea City on the opening day of the Premier League season.

The FA began an investigation after a member of public complained about Mourinho’s language towards Carneiro during the Swansea game on Aug. 8.

The FA cleared the Chelsea manager of making discriminatory comments to Carneiro, who has left the club, but Dyke said in a letter to FA Council members that the Portuguese was in the wrong.

“I don’t think Mr Mourinho comes well out of the whole saga — he clearly made a mistake in the heat of a game, and should have said so and apologised,” Dyke said.

“Instead he has said very little and Miss Carneiro has lost her job.

“Our regulatory team have investigated this and whilst Mr Mourinho has breached no rules, it was clearly a failure of his personal judgement and public behaviour,” the chairman added.

Carneiro and Fearn were called on to the pitch by the referee to treat Hazard, meaning the player had to leave the field, leaving Chelsea with nine men as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had already been sent off.

Mourinho criticised the pair in a post-match news conference and the 42-year-old Carneiro had her responsibilities curtailed before deciding to leave the club.

However, FA board member Heather Rabbatts was critical of the governing body for the way it handled the case.

“I have major concerns over the way in which the disciplinary process has been conducted,” said Rabbatts, the head of the FA’s inclusion advisory board.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru. Editing by Patrick Johnston)